01430nas a2200157   4500000000100000000000100001008004100002653003400043100002000077245008900097856015300186300001200339490000700351520089400358022002001252                                       d10aSocial conflicts (THE\_65396)1 aCarol Silverman00aMacedonia, UNESCO, and Intangible Cultural Heritage: The Challenging Fate of Teskoto  uhttps://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84938836299&doi=10.2979%2fjfolkrese.52.2-3.233&partnerID=40&md5=d4f7086961eca9f95978c63ba7c1ba23  a233-2510 v523 aIn Macedonia debates about heritage are played out along the fault lines of ethnic and religious conflict as well as a faltering economy and threats from neighbors about interpretations of history. The country’s 2002 and 2004 failed applications for a UNESCO Masterpiece of Intangible Cultural Heritage and its ongoing submissions of representative lists provide a valuable case study of how rural folklore symbols are selectively adopted into heritage discourse and elevated to iconic status. This essay analyzes Teškoto (the Heavy/Difficult Dance) as featured in two UNESCO Masterpiece applications as well as in village contexts, ensemble performances, an annual staged ritual, and tourist appropriations. The story of how Teškoto became a national symbol but failed to achieve UNESCO status as ICH illuminates the manner in which nationalist discourse shapes performance practices.  a07377037 (ISSN)